I've been working really hard lately on new releases and vendors for the Accessories Fair so I haven't had much time to play. I am very happy with what what I have accomplished and while I can't SHOW you yet (part of the rules), I can show you this fun hunt spot. Now I was planning on starting my hunting at ~Ghanie Lane Sculpt Maps ~, but I didn't know that things were already out.I SO had to smile when I read the instructions. It is fun. You can get some friends and play or you can just mouseover all those hunt objects until you find the right one.

I haven't opened the prizes yet, but they are bound to be great. Most all of my sculpt maps come from here and they work well.

So I wanted to quit for the day with a smile and pass it along. I'm off to sit in my balloon that overlooks Winterfell while my hard working typist gets a bit of R and R.

Cheers.

PS. Ghanie Lane is #1 in the Building Blocks Hunt. I didn't know where to start, but now it seems I have -- or will as soon as I get the rest of my work done.

Yesterday -- I think it was yesterday -- a fashion blogger sister asked in group what the skinny was. For those of you not accustomed to American slang, "skinny" not only means excessively thin; it also means news of the insider (gossip) nature. I have had a very difficult time embracing group chatter; I have group chat turned off on several of my groups. But, I do find that I learn a lot by looking over the group chat text. So, for those of you out of the loop even more than I am, here's what I know.

Version 2.0 - The general consensus is (drum roll please) ----- New features good; interface sucky (yep, that is a quote and yes, it is NOT a positive comment :D). There are some legitimate concerns about the privacy issues connected with the interactive web page on a prim feature. You can, in theory, turn that off just like you can turn off video and streaming music, so that will be helpful for those who value their privacy. The fashion world seems completely enamored with the new face tattoo - makeup option.

Horror stories abound about issues. It is beta of course, but most of the complaints seem to be about features that are actually working. Also, if you install 2.0 and try to go back to the 1.23 ish viewer (or a 3rd party) there are some big issues with chat as well as folders that you cannot use but remain in your account because they have been created in the database by 2.0. I wondered and voiced the idea that The Labs needed to have a focus group testing the interface as they worked on it. According to some websites from last Fall, they did. They just ignored how much everyone hated the interface. Oh well. It appears from the official forums that "Resistance Is Futile". We will get 2.0 in one form or another. For me, it will most likely include kicking and screaming.

If you already installed 2.0, loving it or not -- Skin Within has a set of makeups for Version 2.0 that you might want to try out. Free in the shop; I know not where. I am just the messenger. Landmarks for the store aren't loading for me this morning. The map coordinates are Skin Within (124, 128, 28).

Car Wash - The cart sale at Car Wash has been a huge success. If you were one of the first there, you might want to make a return trip. Some new carts were added after the opening and many of the vendors traded out their merchandise -- and may do so again. The sale last another week.

Steam Hunt: The hunt starts tonight at midnight. Each stop should have a hint gear and there will in theory be hints up at Flickr. A list of participating stores should appear also. I don't think this is going to work well, but hopefully I will be wrong. Meanwhile, watch other blogs for LMs and photos of hunt goodies. I'll be doing the Building Blocks hunt first, but I doubt I will have much in fashion mode to share :D. If you get really really stuck and can't go onward in STEAM, IM me. Note that while I am almost always in world, I am often in another program and may miss your IM for awhile (yesterday it was a few hours). Notecards work too of course.

I know some other things, but I am under a non-disclosure agreement *wink*. So that's all for now.

The Midnight Dance set in mahogany and silver is this week's special for Bargain Hunter's Paradise. Find it priced at $25 at BaublesONLY on the blue vendor board. Other colors are available on the wall for $50 a set. The special runs until next Saturday when a new deal is revealed. A little birdie told me that brand newness will be uncovered on the 6th so watch for it.

You can pick up a list of all the participating stores at my shop. A website is in the works as I type this. I will update and add a link when it is up.

Endings are thoughtful times for me. As we move from February into March I look back on both good and bad days. On the plus side I finally found a home for my Steampunk house and I love Winterfell. On the minus? I lost both irreplaceable inventory and rezzed objects in the numerous database reverts. I know it is all virutal, but it has still been depressing. Remaking vendors that appeared in old version has NOT been fun. But Chandra and I got our balloon ride, business was amazingly good and I have new friends in my friends list. So there were good times too. Looking forward to March, I see lots of hunts, the Accessories Fair and St. Patrick's. All pluses. Yeah! Fingers are crossed here that "issues" get taken care of.

The Ostara Hunt begins soon, midnight on the 28th. It is the first of the Wheel of the Year, Pagan themed hunts. The starting point is here. Along with gifts at every stop, there is a puzzle to solve which leads folks to a special end prize area that include more gifts and some discount bargains from the retailers in the hunt. I've added an extra prize for gals (sorry fellows but I doubt you would want these :D).

Above are my two gifts. The necklace (two sizes, one for guys) comes from Baubles Boho Jewelry and the cuff and ring (that I forgot to put on for the photo) come from Steamy Victoria. These look great on the guys too.

I've had a fun time learning more about Pagan symbols and sabbats. I hope the hunt, and the series turns out to be special. There are approximately 50 vendors in the hunt, so it is a relatively short one. The hunt symbol is a leafed wreath (just a prim) and fairly hard to see. There will be hints and SLURLs on the website. The ring includes a resize script for easy fitting.

My very pretty blouse is the .::Bog::. Dragonette Elv'an Top from Elv'an Majika. I journeyed over there last eve to see what had changed since my last visit. The vendor for this top greeted me in the doorway. It is FREE and very pretty. I bought a longer version of the top for $5. Everything in the store is $5 and under. Be sure and pick up the free tintable bra top; very handy. My pants are part of the Christmas gift from PARADISIS.

My pose is from the new Diesel Works Dante set. See previous post for more info.

My friend Charlie really loves dressing in vintage clothing and costumes. He wears jeans too of course, but give him an excuse to get into some historical or fantasy garb and he is there. I needed some vendor shots with a guy for one of my shops, so he was the first person I called. And naturally he had a perfect outfit :D.

Diesel Works just released a new set of poses for guys so I was anxious to try them out. And are they ever great. I have to admit I hopped on the pose stand myself. Well I had to do something while I waited for Charlie to arrive! Some of the poses work for gals, but in general I think they are best for the male members of our society. That's a good thing; the guys frequently get left out.

The set comes with a filled pose stand (a very stylish one) so it is a great addition to a photography studio. The stands are very natural and the body weight is centered well giving them a realistic feel. I think these are some of the best poses to date from Diesel Works. Be sure and stop by and try them out. Not all poses work on all avatar bodies, so jump on the demo stand and strut your stuff. You have an excuse. You are NOT just being vain.

Posted by Chic Aeon
in
freebies,
places
on Thursday, February 25, 2010

I've been very busy of late in my content creator role. I want to thank the customers who have come and shopped (and some shopped and shopped and shopped :D) and my fellow bloggers who have feature my items. Still, I do miss getting out and about. So, I was thrilled to see a new profile pick gift come out at Prim and Pixel Paradise. And what a fun what it is!

Marrakesh comes packed with a long list of mix and match goodies. This is my own personal favorite, but I'm sure you will find a mix that will be just you. Some of the items in the pack not shown are a jacket, a necklace, shoes and shorter balloon pants. The prim pieces come in different attachment points as well as with and without a resize script. I appreciate that. We don't know what is going to happen in the future with the script limits, so having a choice is wonderful. Since it is lots more work for the designer, I'm handing out a handful of gold stars to Mairead Fitzgerald for the extra time she put in on this gift. She can't do anything with them of course, but the thought is there.

I wanted to take a photo in one of the Moroccan sims, but each time I TPed in I was met by a cluster of very chatty men. So ladies, if you want some conversation, get PPP in your Profile Picks, grab this many-pieced outfit and do some exploring. I ended up at Pathfinder. Pretty views and quiet. Works for me.

It's Thursday again and that means another brand new release at 80% off. The week it is back to basics with a fat pack of go-with-almost-anything casual earrings in hammered metal. The fatpack of three colors is $15 until Friday morning. After that they turn into a $75 item with singles at $30 a pair. So grab them now!

Chandra and I had never met in person (or in avatar if you will). We have chatted often in my early morning hour and her supper time. So it was especially fun to do a photo shoot together. And even better I had Julia's new hot air balloon and Winterfell to unveil. We had a great if laggy time. Get two photographer's together though and they will preserver no matter what SL(r) hands them *wink*.

click any photo for a high rez version

We floated over castle tops and trees in the early morning hours. This hot air balloon is the prize from the Julia Collection for the STEAM hunt. The prize includes a highly decorated ground version that holds more friends. You can see it parked outside her shop. My prim allowance is waning, but I have enough for the flying balloon and its parking pad. And is it ever fun. It works just like a real balloon. It inflates and then drifts. There is a menu to burn or vent for height and it sails with the SL winds. It will go home to its landing spot if you are in the same sim and it will stop for photo shoots. Careful there; our first try had the balloon disappearing over someone else's land because we became an "object" after a few minutes and no longer a "vehicle". So venting now and then is a good plan while you enjoy the view. My first trip I took it far and wide over many neighboring sims. It was a joy!

This is the park near my place in Winterfell. You can barely see the balloon through the gate in the background. My outfit (sans boots) is the STEAM prize from Candace Hudson of the Hudson Clothing Company. You can see the complete set of outfit options here. The STEAM hunt starts soon. Yeah!

So LeLutka sent out some new makeups just now to their group. I'm betting a few thousand of you got them. I can't wear them as my viewer doesn't support the upcoming feature. I am guessing that the the new 2.0 Viewer will be the one that let's you see them.

Note: Gogo posted photos here :D. Other examples of the new feature can be seen here and here. It looks like everyone is on the bandwagon.

I am not excited about 2.0 and so I won't be downloading the beta. If I play my cards correctly I may never have to download the release. As others have said, it is designed for the new folks and not those of us that are familiar with the older viewers. I put in a lot of time on that learning curve and I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. And, if Emerald keeps doing as well as it has, I see no reason to ever switch back. Still, I'm interested in what others think. If open source stays open source as LL promises, we can most likely have the best of all possible worlds.

The POINT of all if this was to ask if any of you great workaholic bloggers out there have tried the new makeups with the beta viewer. If so, and if my assumptions are correct and you can see the not yet available to me feature :D -- I'd love to have you comment to this post with the URLs of your article or Flickr photos. I want to know. I just don't want to work for it!

The Cart Sale at The Washes starts today. People have been buying since last night of course and not everyone is set up yet. But that's not new news. There are lots of great vendors as well as not so great. Much like a craft fair or a garage sale, you need to wander and find the best bargains. What is the best for you will likely be different from your friends and relatives. I suggest you start here where three great booths align -- Mudhoney, Ticky Tacky and Ear Candy. The $10 and under booths are scattered all over two sims and the bridge. If you have a favorite designer at Car Wash, you will find the cart in front of their shop. Guest carts are hither and yon in a haphazard manner as you would suspect at an event like this one.

My cart is on the bridge between the two sims. Most of my items are regular merchandise from the shop. There is a skybox and a multi-pieced furniture set from awhile ago that I added. Both are popular. The best FASHION bargain on my cart is the Diamonds in Wood pack of four colors. The ironwood set is shown above. [Note: I decided that mixing item types on the cart was confusing, so if you are looking for these earrings, I have placed them in the shop here. The same four pair for $10 price applies.

The month is drawing to an end, but you still have time to do a bit of gathering before we ring out the February hunts and ring in those for March. This lovely medieval dress is stop number 10 on the Magic and Romance hunt. The shop is Mystic Sky; a romantic name for sure. You are looking for a red rose and stop number 1 is here.

If you ever wanted to be a part of a fairytale, this gown is meant for you. While I found it early in the month, Ive been waiting, hoping to find a suitable locale for a photo. This is actually the backyard of my new place in Winterfell, home to many magical and alternate reality dwellings.Timing is everything.

Have fun scouring the shops. A new selection of hunts begin in a week.

Some of my fondest memories when I was just out of the pod include hair camping at Calla. I spent a good portion of my newbie days in the camping building. It was snowy outside and a warm fire blazed in the center of the room. There were only eight or so chairs then -- each with different styles, so sometimes getting a spot was tricky. Trivia questions popped up in blue boxes and every now and then I actually knew the answer to a 50 linden question. Yeah!

So when I read that there was a new camping room at "The Spa", I just had to TP over. True, I also saw that there was a free hair for the weekend. But I searched the camping and lucky chair area through and through with no discovery. I did find some cute free spa slipper shown above. They come in two styles and two colors so four pairs in all. There are plenty of chairs to go around and you can choose your spa treatment as well as the style of hair you want to sit for.

I have no time these days to sit for 300 minutes, but I had a great time remembering the good old days. There are a variety of lucky chairs too, but of course hopping up in the middle of camping is not a wise idea.

So drop by and see Calla, wander through the hair rooms or use the TP board to get you around quickly.

It's difficult to decide what to wear to a fashion show. I mean it is a FASHION show after all, so Hair Fair garb doesn't really measure up. How to be stylish and low arc -- that is the question. I'm planning on attending the W & Hair Show this evening, so low lag fashion became the topic of the morn. This outfit weighs in at a modest 219 ARC (Advanced - Rendering - Info Displays - Avatar Rendering Cost). It is mostly scriptless but does include sculpties. It is my Clear Conscious But I Still Look Good outfit of the day. And if it get's really laggy I can switch to a low prim, non-scripted hair.

My look in the casual menswear chic mode includes some new finds and gifts including a dollarbie shirt from Gabriel(a very very stylish shop for both guys and gals). This shirt and its mate in blue denim (dollarbie) are designed for the males in our lives, but a bit of prim resizing and manipulation gets that collar in close to perfect mode. There is a very cute gals dress with the same style not too far from this gift display. These are TRANSFER so get one for your fellow while you are there.

I can't change clothes today -- or actually I "can" change according to the inventory list, but I am still wearing yesterday's outfit. So, it looks like a perfect time to post a few shots of non fashion wear that I took earlier in the month. This cute and low prim outdoor set is this month's Picks Reward from MB-CreationZ. Two poses, 13 prims and copy, this is a fun set. I especially like the coffee cup details.

This tasteful Deco skybox is #43 on the My Heart Beats Blue hunt which ends the 28th. I didn't find a lot of items on that hunt. They seemed to be hidden quite well at least at the time I was looking. This prize was in the cutest (and empty then) blue shop. The hunt prize includes some nice furniture. I fell in love with the details. Always the details.

Outside the skybox is just as sleek and stylish. I bookmarked the shop; I know I did as I loved the quirkiness and especially the windows. But alas, my landmark is gone. It has disappeared along with some REZZED poseballs. With lots of permission changes on vendors and who knows what else during this tough week at Phil's, I guess I'm not too surprised. So -- here's is the starting point of the hunt. There are lots of big name folks in the participant list and if you are an avid hunter, I'm betting you can find this down the line at 43.

Edit: I happily found the shop. It is still empty, but I'm guessing there's going to be some wonderful things inside eventually. My clothes miraculously appears so here's a picture. Go forth and hunt. I may journey back and try my luck again at some of the places with well hidden BLUE HEARTS.

A quick post to let you know there is a benefit shopping event for the next few days. The donation items are one of a kind designs that will not be available after the Montana Goldrush closes. There are tons of booths to on the sky platform, most of them set up and active already. The Baubles - PhotoGraphique booth is between Iced and Nushru and this is my one of a kind donation item. It contains goodies for both gals and guys and is transfer. So if you are one of those shoppers that loves having limited edition items, this may be the place for you this weekend.

While the prices range from inexpensive to high donation range, I opted for the make it inexpensive so people will want to buy ethic. This set of five pieces is $25

From the notecard:

The benefit will kick off February 19th 2010, at 5:00 pm SL time opening with a concert by the SL Def Leppard . The event will run through the weekend (Saturday and Sunday, February 20th and 21st) with live DJ’s around the clock. On the evening of February 21st, we will wrap it up with another concert.

We are putting together a special benefit for a fellow designer and a wonderful friend here in sl named Margo Imako. She is the owner of Steambound, a store selling costumes ranging from Victorian, Western, and Pirate, to Lingerie and Latex. Her store is located at:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dysnomia/132/108/901

Margo has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Appendix, Stage IV. She will require a surgery people call 'MOAS' (Mother of all Surgeries) because of its intensity.

Without surgery her chances beyond 3 years are slim. With a successful surgery her chances past the next 5 years go up to 80%. Margo is 39 and has a husband and three children all under the age of 10.

We are calling on all designers to open your hearts and give of your time and creative ability to help raise funds to offset the medical expenses entailed in Margo's battle with cancer.

The Labs appear to be hard at work fixing things they broke by accident. Hence, getting things done today is problematic at best. Oh no! Time for philosophy *wink*.

Thanks to a post by Tarsis (and some IMing help after from both Tarsis and a fashion blogger sister) I went over to Belleza (free to join for awhile) to pick up the male skin as I didn't have a good one. I also alerted Wonder that there were new free skins at Belleza. Wonder was already wearing a Belleza skin he purchased long ago; it was getting a little dated.

And that brings me to my philosophy of the day. I can now "be" Wonder if I want; he was nice enough to share his homemade shape with me. But I feel SO odd doing that. It is handy, certainly -- both for blog posts and to fit jewelry. The sending samples back and forth is very time consuming. Still, it doesn't work well for me. I am guessing that I will slip into his big guy shape for fitting male jewelry for hunts and such, but I am going to be very careful and concentrate only on the jewelry (insert shiver here) and not think about how I look.

How do we find our individuality?

The other day when I was out on a photo shoot someone asked to buy my shape and skin. And that got me thinking. For people that buy their shapes and skins -- especially as a set -- there are others running around looking just like them. That's not a giant step forward in individuality from our pod states when we join Phil's. That must not matter to some people, but it certainly matters to me.

My shape is far from perfect. Lots of poses won't fit me because of long legs and arms and who knows what else. I pretty much have NO breasts. But it is "ME", the me I have been from the beginning after I greatly modified a shape that came with some Eloh skin. Except for a couple of extra pounds, I've stayed the same for over two years. I feel comfortable as the gal I am and don't plan to change. I don't want to share myself either. You won't be seeing Chic Aeon shapes on the market in my lifetime *wink*.

That's what I am thinking as I try once again to get things to work today :D.

This week's brand new, 80 percent off item for Thrill Me Thursday is a necklace -- Rodeo Blvd. Fun and casual, it comes in silver with shades of gray gemstones. Versions for chest and spine are included in the pack. By request, I've changed the permissions to Mod-Copy-No Transfer. I decided that this necklace deserved a photo shoot. Well why not? So I took it and my new ~*RunoRuno*~ outfit from the Red Packet Hunt out to the just opened Heartless sim.

The outfit comes complete with shoes. I added a tintable (and tinted) bra top from Elv'an Majika, the almost free shop. Braver gals can go without of course. The casual I've-Got-So-Much-Money-I-Can-Do-What-I-Want necklace paired perfectly with the crumpled linen attire.

Click any image for a larger photo

Rodeo Blvd is $20 through early Friday morning at BaublesBoho Jewelry. Look for the vendor with balloons. It's difficult to miss. The regular price will be $100. The set is out a bit early this week as I have NON work plans (yeah) for the eve. Enjoy and be sure and pick up your gift from the Mardi Gras hunt while you are there. The mask is out in the open; very little seeking is required.

It's not really a secret! Lucky boards galore line the shops at petit pas. These are GROUP boards so you need to find the group joiner in one of the shop windows near the middle of the street and have your tag active when you click. The prizes are very nice including Sami's hair (left) and dress. I am wearing the top of an outfit I won. There are dresses, poses, jewelry, a shape, a skirt and housewares; just lots.

The street is fairly long so standing in the middle where you can hear all the boards is a good plan. You can cam from there to watch, but you need to be within 20 meters of a board to click. Hence you get some exercise points along with the prizes.

In general many of these prizes are in the cutsie category, but there should be something for everyone with all the choices.

Each board has a single prize and they change every five minutes. So you can TP friends in if you like. Interestingly enough most of the store fronts on the street are just that -- facades. You TP to the actual stores.

I think my favorite prize -- which I haven't won -- is this hair by ROGE. They have some very nice styles with free demos you can try while you wait on the boards. There is also a free necklace set in one of the shop windows, so enjoy your stay.

My hair is by JUNWAVE and my leggings in the first shot are by Concrete Flowers.

Tip of the day: Belleza group join fees are currently free, so if you aren't a member, now might be a good time to join -- ESPECIALLY GUYS. We want all you guys to look super spiffy and Belleza skins will get you there. There are no group gifts at the moment. Patience may be called for, but definitely worthwhile. The credit on that tip goes to Sami and someone on the VAIN group for posting. TY both.

Phoenix-Firefall added a new item to their Midnight Mania board some time ago. I was there day one and TPed in a few friends to fill the board and get this set. Divine and Benicia won it in brown several months ago, but you know me and black. Yeah, black! Plus, no waiting at the lucky chairs this time; just tapping.

As you would expect the detailed prim work on this is outstanding. Lagaliscious and worth every prim. I normally would have accessorized in a more fantasy mood, but when I tried on this cowgirl hair (with hat), I decided to Western it up a bit and headed over to Tombstone.

You can't really go many places in the town of Tombstone; it seems to be locked down on a white list for role play. But I did manage to get into the saloon and out on the boardwalk for these shots.

I should mention that the Phoenix-Firefall lucky chairs changed at the same time as the MM board. They are now in the center of the shop around a giant tree. There are two for skins and two with accessories and clothes -- some new, some not. The Midnight board has also moved. Find it at the far end of the store, past the tree.

Style Notes:

Hair: (HOH - no longer available)

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Eva (tone 5/bl) dec VIP gift

Everything else I am wearing is from the MM board at Phoenix-Firefall

Top pose by LAP who I hear has completed a remodel. I'll be heading over to take a look soon.

Need a super cute low prim house for free? It's sneak peak time at Chic's. This beautifully textured guest house is only 51 prims WITH the furnishings. Oh my!. It is small to fit on a first land lot and perfect for many residential uses. It will be the prize from the Julia Collection for the STFU Hunt starting March 1. There will be a STEAM hunt prize there too, so two winnings from one stop. And both are lovely.

The house is rustic and homey and includes plants and a second floor with stairs to get you there. It is small but rich in textures and detail. I am so amazed at the prim count! Even on a 512 you have many prims for decoration or outdoor plantings.

There are flower boxes out front and a security door which apparently has a notecard somewhere as it tells you who can enter. I didn't bother to check that out, but you of course can after you pick yours up.

The upstairs come furnished with bed and fluffy pillows, all color coordinated with the furnishing below. The shadows on the floor convince you that this is a bit more real than you might have imagined. That works fine for me.

It is all quite lovely. This is a premium hunt prize; there is no question about that.

We all need a place to call home and this one could be yours just for some looking. So mark your calendar for the first of March and remember that it is the Julia Collection that has this prize.

You never really know what will happen next in Phil's Place and it looks like that might be even more true in Winterfell. It had been a long but fruitful and rewarding day at Phil's and I felt the need for some rest, so I plopped myself down in my side yard on an arrangement from Pocket Gardens. Life went on in the real world with dinner, a bit of streamed TV and a glass of wine. I returned to find this hard to ignore dragon nearby. I mentioned that he was very impressive. He shyly expressed his appreciation.

He didn't live around here but loved the local and the people (and other denizens I assume). The abundance of open land is no doubt handy for someone of his size. I told him he was always welcome and he thanked me. And as he flew off with powerful wings flapping and dangerous teeth in evidence he wished me a happy Valentines Day. Now THAT is memorable :D.

I wasn't so crass as to inspect him, but I did look at his profile after he left. He is either the creator of or the fan of Seawolf Monsters, definitely a place worth checking out. He is also, from his profile, quite philosophical. You never REALLY know ...

I've been very busy lately, but I have great plans for some adventure and a "pretty post" tomorrow. I hope you all had a great three holiday day.

The Mardi Gras Hunt is back on albeit in mini mode. The hunt starts tonight at midnight SL time, but as with all hunts be advised that the first day may have issues and not all items may be out for sale. So, patience is good. Is this going to be the best hunt ever? No. But I have to give so many kudos to the folks that worked hard to keep it going after the original organizer needed to abandon the project. From 100 vendors it is now a mini hunt of a quarter that size.

I have been amazed to watch the ingenuity of some of the hunt vendors and especially Duchess Whiteberry who took over the hunt. Those of you that have been in hunts can imagine the difficulties when you have no hunt prize object and no access to group notices. What was accomplished was all done through group chat and IMs. I am sure that there were vendors who would have liked to remain in the hunt, but left the hunt group with the announcement of the abandonment. The fact that it came together at all is amazing. So gold stars for all those that put forth an effort.

The biggest news on the hunt scene -- by my estimation anyway -- is that this hunt will be the first to include a list with LM to all the vendors in the hunt WITHIN the prizes. That is the plan anyway. Hunters get the hunt prize from the stop they are at, a LM to the next spot (should they be a die hard I will not cheat hunter) and a notecard with the stops and LMs to them all. I have never heard of this happening, but I am sure someone will comment on this post if it has.

A list of the stops with names and SLURLs is also on the (very quickly put up) official website. Hints are being added a bit at a time as they come in.

So happy hunting!

**************************************

A bit of an aside here and some philosophy. A friend of mine commented this morning that she was surprised to see me mentioning upcoming hunts, but that I should know which ones are the good ones. In fact, I do not. We all know of hunts we expect to be stellar; STEAM, Peace On Earth, Make Him Over, Stepping Stones Group and the Vain hunts when they were going on to name a few. But as a hunt vendor, we gamble on hunts because of the theme, the organizer, or for me sometimes the poster. (Alas, I admit that I frequently buy wine for the label; it is the artist in me. )

So I don't know which hunts will be great and which ones will fall apart. It is a gamble for us all -- including the organizers. We pick out the hunts we hope will turn out and do our best to support them. That's all we can do.

Whether you love Valentines or simply want to get the day over with, it has been a wonderful season for gifts. The goodies come in all flavors and styles. These are a few of my favorites of the last few days. The very cute top comes from Berries Inc. and if you love it, there are many colors (sans hearts) on the wall that you can add to your closet . The arm warmers are part of the gift. Very stylish and not too sweet, this set may work for many of you too. My pose is part of a group gift from (*chanimations . There are some fun retro props in the pack that I hope to get to use soon. My hair is from Waka and Yuki who are having a opening this weekend. While I didn't get over to search for the gifts, YOU can. I really love this hair!

This cute table and chair set with lots of animations, color change fabric and various eddible goodies comes from Parajen as their group gift (SOM) for Valentines. My Sneaker Boots in crushed berry are from Duh! and while not free, always a good value.If you haven't picked them up yet, there is a white pair out over by the lucky chairs, a Shoes and Accessories Hunt prize. Look for a picture of a high top sneaker.

These red stiletto boots are also from Duh!, free this weekend. Find them in a big box not too far from the lucky chairs -- which you should of course check - well Duh!

The little box that I am wearing in the photos is enlarged here so that you can see is actually an heart monitor. It comes animated and with sound. So cute! One of the quirky Valentine group gifts from Grim Bros. It is always so much fun to see what is in those packages -- and yes, they do come often :D.

Have a great Valentine's Day no matter how you spend it. Merry Mardi Gras and a bright "hello" to the year of the Tiger also.

Hunts seem to be here to stay and I have to admit that I like both the challange and the goodies. That's my low arc hunting outfit above. It weighs in at 95 Avatar Rendering Cost even with earrings. Yeah! Now days there are often so many hunts going on that low lag attire is unnecessary. Still I like to be moderately dressed. You never know when you might run into a crowd.

click for larger photo

In case you are new and don't know how to check your Avatar Rendering Cost (a "partial" test of how you may be contributing to the lag in a sim), here is the path (in Emerald but I suspect it is the same in the official viewer still). Advanced - Rendering - Info Displays - Avatar Rendering Cost. If you don't have an ADVANCED option in your menu you can turn it on by using Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D. Being in the GREEN is good, especially if you are out and about in busy sims. Most of you know all this, but new citizens come into the world each day so there is always reason to repeat information.

There are lots of hunts ongoing and March is a good month with the second STEAM HUNT as well as Building Blocks (mostly for us content creators). And I am sure that there are plenty I am not aware of yet.

If you are a content creator, you might be interested in two off-the-main path themed hunts that are coming soon.

The Wheel of the Year Hunts celebrates the change of seasons. The Ostara hunt starts March one. Applications are still being accepted until Feb 21st or when the hunt is full. Contact Violet Steamweaver, Wheel Of The Year Hunts organizer for more info.

Edit: almost full as of Sunday morning SL time.

The Gaia Hunt begins April 1 and applications are being accepted until March 12 or when 75 vendors (100 now) have joined in. Only a few spots left!

So join in the fun as a vendor or as a participant. A good hunt is hard to beat.

There is a lot of news in my world; good news. And while I might look sad in the photo above, I am simply calm and wistful, settling in among the quiet hills and flowing water of Winterfell.

I have been trying to find a home for my whimsical steampunk home from Builder's Brewery for months -- since the last STEAM HUNT. Themed sims are frequently difficult to get into, or exorbitantly expensive -- or both *wink*. The story of the last few days is long, complex and most likely not interesting to anyone but me and assundry relatives. So, you get the Cliff Notes version complete with new fashion.

click any photo for a large version

After a long day of land searching and missteps Wednesday, I gave it one last try in the early eve.

I came across Winterfell which has three sims that fit the bill. I had looked at Winterfell before, but there were no mixed use lots available.That eve there were four spots. Well, not really. There HAD been four but they had all be taken during the day except one. I liked it, but decided to sleep on it and let the fates decide if it was really for me.

Up early I purchased the lot and moved my house and a few furnishings in. Winterfell is a area of connected private lands. There are nine Winterfell sims and they connect to the Caledon sims. Hence, there is a lot of continuous land to roam and explore. There is no red tape or security here and the land is set at perpetual twilight. Electricity is a no-no as are bold shop signs and textures with "bright" turned on. The abundance of empty land, scenic public areas and four seasons make it very idyllic.

This is my little house / shop that I've been in love with for so long shown in the natural lighting of Winterfell -- as are the rest of these photos. My only neighbors are a canal, a hill and an ancient cemetery. A few houses in the distance remind me I am not alone.

Some very exciting news for me is that I applied to the STEAM HUNT at the last minute and was graciously accepted. My little shop, Steamy Victoria, will eventually house themed jewelry. Right now, there are only some homey decorations and my STEAM HUNT sign. I have lots more to share with you including a preview of one of the great hunt gifts to be had as the month begins, but that is for another post.

My lovely outfit is from the Grim Bros. MM board of a few days ago. It is one of the spots I check quite often. While some things are not my style, others are very, very nice like this jeanne rouge gown. Since many of the MM board gifts come from the shop I am guessing that it is still available there, and possibly with some sister garments in different colors.

My house, by the way, can still be purchased at Builder's Brewery. It comes with art, carpets and impressive outdoor lighting (gas of course).